Rome Travel Blog

On a side alley off Rome’s major shopping thoroughfare, Via del Corso (imagine the chaos of your favorite mall during the post-holiday sale) is GP2 , a pub that puts a smart spin on the sanctity of beer gardens.  Named after one of the 2oth centuries favorite clergy, Pope John Paul II (Giovanni...

The biggest culture clash I had when moving from Los Angeles to Rome was not the increase in fashion, food and foot travel, but insistence on local water.  Los Angeles has always had water issues from drought to pollution, think Chinatown and Erin Brokovich.  Anyone with a California driver’s license...

With the summer steadfastly coming to an end, I’ve already begun my salute to Italy’s favorite summertime caffe beverage: the Shakerato,  the morning martini of freshly made espresso and sugar, vigorously shaken in a martini shaker (or professional mixer) until frothy and presented in...

Bar del Fico, one of Rome’s most historic bars in the Piazza Navona neighborhood, has re-opened after a nearly 2-year shut down for renovations on the palazzo and surrounding piazza.  And the return is not a revival of a local caffe with neighborhood characters, but a complete overhaul–...

Last night, I wasn’t surprised when I walked past Natalie Portman* on via del Babuino, a posh shopping street in Rome’s historic center.  It was the day before the 67th Venice Film Festival where Portman’s film, Black Swan by director Darren Aronofsky would not just premiere but open...

With the release of the film version of Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel Eat Pray Love just two weeks ago, the world has been quickly introduced to Gelateria di San Crispino, and a Pandora’s box of delicious discussions about Italian ice cream has opened.  Quick to the draw, Wayne Gross at sceneadvisor.com...

My favorite word in Italian is gastronomia. By definition, a gastronomia is a delicatessen, but by vocation, it is the food shop of all earthly delights.   The typical gastronomia is jammed, albeit in an orderly fashion, ceiling to floor with the prettiest boxes, bottles, jars and tins of all things...

In the lull of the hot Roman summer,  nothing quite beats a cold beer to quench the parching afternoon sun.  While Rome may be riddled with English and Irish pubs featuring quaint names reminiscent of Oliver Twist and Ulysses and cold Guinness on tap, the real deal for beer tasting seemingly centers...

Kilometer Zero (locally grown food) and Home Food are just two of the more recent buzz words in the cornucopia of Italy’s gastrotourism lingo where an Italian vacation means hands on involvement in the country’s most favorite past times– cooking and dining.  From choosing menus and...

Escape is not often a word that comes to mind when in Rome. The buzz of vespas, the intimacy of neighborhoods, the chitchat of cabdrivers, fellow bus passengers, newspaper and fruit vendors and café owners, and labyrinthine streets make the fit into Roman life seamless for visitors and gives them...